3rd February 1925 First Electric Locomotive Train Operated Between Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria Terminus) And Kurla

History of electric traction in India

Electric traction was introduced on Indian Railways in year 1925 on 1.5 KV DC and the first electric train ran between Bombay's Victoria Terminus and Kurla along the Harbour Line of CR, on February 3, 1925, a distance of 9.5 miles, flagged off the then Governor of Bombay Sir Leslie Orme Wilson.

In the year 1957, Indian Railways decided to adopt 25 kV 50 Hz AC traction based on French Railway (SNCF) technology.

The first 25kV AC electrified section was Burdwan-Mughalsarai, completed in 1957, followed by the Tatanagar-Rourkela section on the Howrah-Bombay route. The first actual train run (apart from trial runs) using 25kV AC was on Dec. 15, 1959 on the Kendposi-Rajkharswan section (SER). Howrah-Gaya was electrified by about 1960 , electrification till Kanpur on the Howrah-Delhi route was done by about 1972, and the entire Howrah-Delhi route was electrified on Aug. 5, 1976. The Bombay-Delhi (WR) route was electrified by Feb. 1, 1988. The CR route was fully electrified by June 1990.

Considering the advantages of 2 x 25kV AC system , it was commissioned between Bina and Katni (CR) on Jan. 16, 1995 as a pilot project. This was later extended to Bishrampur. Though this system was not proliferated further earlier, it is being planned for use on Dedicated Freight Corridors to take up heavier traffic.

History of Electric Locomotives

SNo	Class of Loco	Year of Manufacturing	Horse Power	Technology
DC Locomotives
1	WCM1	1954	3170	English Electric
2	WCM2	1956	2810	English Electric
3	WCM3	1957	2460	English Electric
4	WCM4	1960	3290	Hitachi
5	WCM5	1961	3700	CLW
6	WCM6	1996	5000	CLW
7	WCG1	1925	2400	Swiss Loco works
8	WCG2	1970	1640	CLW
AC/DC Locos
9	WCAM1	1975	3640(AC) 2930(DC)	CLW
10	WCAM2	1995	4720(AC) 3780(DC)	CLW
11	WCAM3	1997	5000(AC) 4600(DC)	BHEL
AC Locos
12	WAM1	1959	2870	KM-KRUPP-SFAC
13	WAM2	1960	2790	Mitsubishi
14	WAM3	1964	2790	Mitsubishi
15	WAM4	1970	3640	Mitsubishi
16	WAP1	1980	3760	CLW
17	WAP3	1987	3760	CLW
18	WAP4	1994	5000	CLW
19	WAP5	1993	6000	ABB
20	WAP6	1998	5000	CLW
21	WAP7	2000	6350	CLW
22	WAG1	1963	2900	SNCF
23	WAG2	1964	3180	Hitachi/ Mitsubishi
24	WAG3	1965	3150	Europe
25	WAG4	1966	3150	CLW
26	WAG5	1984	3900	CLW/BHEL
27	WAG6	1987	6000	ASEA
28	WAG7	1992	5000	CLW
29	WAG9	1996	6000	ABB/CLW
30	WAG9H	2006	6000	CLW

Three phase technology

After reaching a power level of 5000 hp, there was no further scope for up-gradation with minimal inputs in the dc drive locomotives, as the capacity of equipment in the traction chain was fully utilised. Any further up-gradation needed a total new design. During late 80’s, development took place in developed railways towards three phase induction motor based drives for traction due to the distinct advantages of less maintenance intensiveness in comparison to dc drives. Induction motor drives are also known for extremely effective regeneration, thereby reducing the energy cost.

On 23rd July 1993, through a landmark decision, Indian Railways signed a contract with ABB Transportation (

Switzerland

) for importing freight and passenger class of locomotives together with transfer of technology agreement for indigenous manufacture. The design was approved by RDSO after many technical interactions, in which, CLW also associated. As ABB did not have much experience in the broad gauge system, they had to customise many aspects of bogies, car body, cab equipment, traction motor etc.

Both WAP5 and WAG9 class have GTO based traction converters and microprocessor based control. This was the first time that CLW handled such high technology locomotives, and it needed a paradigm shift in the management of this technology. The real challenge was posed when the technology was to be absorbed and indigenous production to be done. 11 numbers of passenger locomotives which arrived in 1995-96 were directly put into service after field trials. Rated at 5400 hp, it has a maximum test speed of 180 km/h, which can be increased to 225 km/h by certain modifications in the future. These have been tested successfully upto 180 km/h and speed certificate issued for 160-km/h service speed, even though maximum operational speed today is only 150 km/h

6 freight locomotives of WAG9 class received in 1996 in fully assembled and tested condition were also straightaway put on service after trials. This had a rating of 6000 hp with maximum service speed of 100 km/h, capable of delivering 460kN starting tractive effort.

During the year 2000, after mastering vehicle application software by CLW engineers, a new variant WAP7 was built by adapting the original WAG9 design. WAP7 was intended for passenger operation for service speeds up to 130 km/h, which is the maximum speed of Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains today. WAP7 addresses the high-speed segment very well now. With an output of above 6000 hp, this is the most powerful and preferred locomotive for passenger operation today due to its excellent acceleration, deceleration and energy saving features. WAP5 will, however, address the speeds of 140 km/h and above in future, as I.Rly is already working in this direction. CLW went on to build these three classes of locomotives.

A variant WAG9H with an adhesive weight of 135 tonnes was also developed capable of delivering 52 tonnes starting tractive effort targeting 1 in 150 graded sections. Though this locomotive cleared the oscillation trials, this fleet was not built due to other operational reasons-as a result the prototype WAG-9H (#31030) was converted in to WAG-9 class. However, with increased axle loads now being permitted, Railway Board has placed order for 4 locos of WAG-9H class with 22 tonnes axle load. The first locomotive, viz., 31086 with 22 tonnes axle load was flagged off by Hon’ble MR on 29th July 2006 and has entered in to service.

Advantages of three phase locos:

· Better relaibilty and availability of three phase locos

· It regenerates energy about 15-18%, a moving power house. Regeneration of power is available in 3-phase locomotives. Regenerative braking effort is available from the full speed till dead stop. Consequently, the overall efficiency of operation is higher.

· Maintenance cost of a 3-phase locomotive is less due to absence of brush-gear/ commutator in the traction motors and switchgears in the power circuit.

· 3-phase locomotive operates at near unity power factor throughout the speed range except at very low speeds.

IGBT based propulsion technology

GTO technology is getting obsolete, the world over. IGBT based propulsion system is already in place in a few countries. To tackle the obsolescence problem and keep abreast of the technology and derive its inherent benefits, CLW has already got a project sanctioned for building 5 locomotives with IGBT based propulsion system. This will be according to TCN open standard interface. This is a vision project of Indian Railways presented in Minister’s budget speech 2004-05 and is already underway. In order to sustain 3-phase technology at affordable cost, and to ensure component level standardisation and obsolescence handling, a parallel development has been taken up with C-DAC (under ministry of IT) for indigenous development of TCN based vehicle control system and IGBT based auxiliary converter.

Railway Electrification

With a view to reduce dependence on petroleum based energy in Railway transport, IR have been progressively switching over to electric traction. This also enables haulage of heavier loads at higher speeds, thus increasing throughput. It is a pollution free system and with use of modern high horse power locos having regenerative braking, it becomes vastly energy efficient.

On IR, Electric traction was first introduced on 3^rd Feb.’1925 between Bombay VT to Kurla Harbour line (16 RKM) on 1.5 KV DC system. By March 2008 electrification on IR had extended up to 18145 RKMs. This constitutes 28.65% of the total Railway network and 36.42% of the BG system .

Plan period wise progress of electrification

Plan Period	RKM Electrified	RKM Cumulative
Pre-Independence 1925-1947	388	388
1^st Plan 1951-56	141	529
2^nd Plan 1956-61	216	745
3^rd Plan	1678	2423
Annual Plan 1966-69	814	3237
4^th Plan 1969-74	954	4190
5^th Plan 1974-78	533	4723
Inter Plan 1978-80	195	4918
6^th Plan 1980-85	1522	6440
7^th Plan 1985-90	2812	9252
Inter Plan 1990-92	1557	10809
8^th Plan 1992-97	2708	13517
9^th Plan 1997-02	2484	16001
10^th Plan 2002-07	1810	17811
11^th Plan 1^st year 2007-08	502	18145*
2^nd year 2008-09	797	18942
3^rd year 2009-10	1117	20059

* 168 RKM deducted as MG electrified line dismantled

AC-DC Convertion work

The 1.5kV DC overhead system (negative earth, positive catenary) is used around Bombay (This includes Mumbai CST - Kalyan, Kalyan - Pune, Kalyan - Igatpuri, Mumbai CST - Belapur - Panvel, and Churchgate - Virar).

Why Conversion?

· Overhead DC traction power supply system has reached its saturation level.

· Traction substations inter-spacing being very low making fault level unmanageble and creating serious fire hazard.

· Investments in DC if continued will be exorritant

· Very high recurring maintenance cost of DC traction system

Work involved

OHE modification:

· Replacement of insulators, section insulators, isolators, increasing clearances, insulation under bridges & tunnels, insulated overlaps modification, neutral section formation, errection of Aux. transformers, easrthing and bonding as per AC system

· Construction of AC substations & switching stations including SCADA

· LT modifications at platforms, washing sidings

Modifications to Signalling & Telecom:

· Replacement of AC track circuits with Audio frequency Track Circuits (AFTC)/ Digital Axle counters (DAC)

· Provision of cut-in relays, screens & earthing

· Replacement of point motors with AC immunized motors

· Provision of Optic Fibre Cable (OFC) and STM-1 equipments

Raising /Construction of ROBs & FOBs

Benefits of DC-AC conversion

· 25 to 30% saving in energy cost due to VVVF drive & Regeneration braking systems being employed in Electric locos & EMUs expected to yield saving of about Rs. 50 Cr/Year

· Introduction of high power locomotives. WAG7 locos need less maintenance are more reliable and generate higher tractive effort than DC locos. This will result in smoother ghat operation at higher speeds

· Reduction in Maximum Power Demand for same level of traffic

· Reduction in no. of substations from 73 to 18 leading to higher reliability & lower maintenance cost

· Increased life of contact wire

· Higher voltage insulation level in 25 KV AC system to with stand surged with greater reliability

· Lesser maintenance on rail bonding in AC sysytem

· Goods train with 58 BOXN can be taken up the ghat without splitting

· Utilisation of electric locos will increase.

Electrification of Sidings

Though all the trunk routes/ Main lines have been electrified 53 no of sidings left out without electrification. This causes unnecessary delay in movement of trains, it is requires traction change etc., Once these sidings gets electrified loads can reach its destination in time and in turn the turn round period of loads will also get increased.

Electrification of Missing Links

Main routes have been electrified and their links are still left out un wired. For example missing links are Jhansi-Kanpur, Itarsi-Jabalpur-Allhabad. These missing links requires to be electrified so that the delay for traction change could be avoided and throughput will get increased with electric loco operation.

Train Lighting/Air Conditioning (TL/AC)

Lighting in passenger coaches was introduced starting around 1897. The Jodhpur Railway was the first to make electric lighting standard on all its coaches, in 1902. A long time ago, steam locos used to have 24V turbine generators to provide power for lighting and other appliances in the coaches. In general, only the first and second class coaches had lights and fans for every compartment, the 'inter' class had only lights, and the third class coaches had just two lights, one at each end near the door. Provision of lights and fans as standard equipment in all compartments was legislated in 1952.

Individual coaches are powered by axle-driven generators which charge storage batteries that power lights, fans and other electrical fittings. Older coaches have 24V (less often 48V) circuitry and have dynamos connected to the axles by belts. Newer coaches have 110V circuitry and use belt-driven 4.5kW, 110V alternators. Both systems use banks of 24V batteries (mostly lead-acid batteries of an 800Ah capacity) for back-up power. LHB stock uses 4.5kW alternators (6kW for air-conditioned stock). In the 1990s, there was a big push to convert all old stock with 24V systems to the 110V system.

In older stock, for powering air-conditioning equipment, an inverter was used to convert the DC output of a set of batteries to 415V AC. For some time now, however, groups of 110V alternators delivering 18-22kW each have been used to power air-conditioning equipment (the voltage is stepped up to 415V). Most recently, RDSO has developed a newer 25kW 110V alternator with better power circuitry.

Many air-conditioned coaches are not self-contained with regard to the power supply. For such coaches, a 'mid-on generator' (MOG) is used; this is a 415V 3-phase alternator (either in one of the coaches or in a separate 'power-car'), the output from which is used both for the air-conditioning, and (stepped down to 110V) for the lights and fans. Some 'end-on generators' (EOG) also generate 415V 3-phase AC.

Prior to the 1930's, various arrangements for cooling the interiors of passenger coaches existed, mostly for the first-class coaches. The North-Western Railway introduced air-conditioned stock in the late 1930's (the earliest was probably the Frontier Mail in 1936 or 1937). BBCI Railways also experimented with air-conditioning at about the same time. By the early 1950's, air-conditioning was available on several long-distance trains. For example, in 1952-53 there were air-conditioned services between Bombay and Howrah, Delhi and Madras (Grand Trunk Exp.), Bombay and Delhi, Bombay-Amritsar (Frontier Mail), Bombay-Viramgam (Saurashtra Mail), and Bombay-Ahmedabad (Gujarat Mail). These all used AC units that were mounted beneath the coach body (underslung), interconnected by pipes. Self-contained roof-mounted units appeared in year 1980.

The first fully air-conditioned train was introduced in 1956 between Howrah and Delhi. Popularly known as the AC Express, it ran on the Grand Chord; later there were two, one running on the Grand Chord and the other on the Main Line. Another train popularly known as the AC Express was the Dakshin Exp. between Madras and New Delhi in the 1960s.

AC Chair Car stock was introduced around 1955. Until about 1979, air-conditioning was available only in these and in AC First Class cars. Around 1979 the first two-tier AC coaches were introduced. The first 3-tier AC coaches were introduced in 1993 (RCF) and used on the Howrah Rajdhani via Patna. (The first such coach was ER 2301A, later changed to ER 94101A.) The first 60 or so of the three-tier AC coaches had 67 berths each, while all later ones have 64 berths.

Electric Multiple Units (EMU)

The first 1500V DC EMUs used around Bombay (the first EMUs in India, 1925) were from Cammell Laird (UK) (later Metro Cammell) and Uerdingenwagonfabrik (Germany). Later units were supplied by Breda (Italy) as well.

IR has electric multiple units in operation in several suburban sections (Mumbai, Chennai, Calcutta, Bandel-Katwa, etc.). The Mumbai region with 1.5kV DC traction has several models of EMUs, classified from WCU-1 through WCU-15. Most models have DC traction motors with rheostatic control (resistance banks to vary the input power supply). DC EMUs are also used on the Lonavala-Pune section.

BHEL has recently developed some AC-DC EMUs for use in the Bombay area in both the 25kV AC and 1.5kV DC traction regions. The new AC-DC EMUs also have 3-phase induction motors and thyristor control. Recently WR has signed a contract with Alstom to convert some of the existing (Jessops) 1.5kV DC EMUs to operate with both AC and DC traction power. The first such rakes are already in regular use in the Borivli-Dahanu section. All the AC-DC coaches have regenerative brakes. The 9xx series rakes fail over to electropneumatic braking directly if regenerative braking does not work, while the 3xx series rakes first fail over to dynamic (rheostatic) brakes first before failing over to the electropneumatic brakes. The rakes for these will have 12 cars, and the rated max. speed is 100km/h.

The recent development of the Main-line EMU (MEMU), manufactured by ICF, was intended to address precisely this, to allow EMU operations in more areas. They have a width of 10'8". MEMUs run on 25kV AC power. MEMU driving motorcoaches seat 76 and the trailer coaches seat 108. They have a rated top speed of about 105km/h and are equipped with electro-pneumatic brakes. The trailer coaches weigh about 33.6 tonnes and the motor coaches weigh about 60 tonnes. Earlier versions of MEMUs had a top speed of 60km/h. RDSO improved on these by increasing the horsepower of the traction motors and providing a weak-field arrangement in them for higher speeds.

During the year 2003, RDSO carried out a series of trials with MEMU rakes carrying 'Dense Crush Loads' ('DCL') stopping at all stations on the Tundla-Kanpur section of NCR. These 4-car MEMUs were provided with a weak-field arrangement. It was seen that the use of the weak field allowed increased acceleration above 40km/h, saving time at 7% at a max. speed of 90km/h and 105 at 100km/h on the 228km stretch.

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Vintage Locomotives of India

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Electric Locomotive YCG E 1/21900

Builder: Hawthorn Leslie & Co,

. Electricals by English Electric,Leeds, UK Class: YCG/1 Year Built: 1930 Service: SIR (South Indian Railway), later SR (Southern Railway) Wheel Arrangement: Bo-Bo Unique Features: Dual braking (vacuum and air), entrance from balconies at each end, could also work for short spells in unelectrified yard lines, on attachment of trailer housing battery accummulators Numbering: 21900 Named: ---- Voltage: 1,500 V dc Rail Gauge: mg (3' 3 3/8")

The Madras Beach-Tambaram section was the first mg line to be electrified in 1930. The YCG/1s were the first electrics to arrive (apart from the mg e.m.us), making them the first mg electrics on Indian soil. Alas, their spent their entire working life on the 25 km stretch between Madras Beach and Tambaram. The main line was steam worked till 1968, after which it was electrified upto Villupuram on 25,000 V ac, in keeping with IR policy. Being dc engines, the YCG/1s used to run on the suburban lines, and never had the previlege of working main line trains. They were used for switching operations and shunting freights between Madras Beach and Tambaram. They also used to haul one suburban train between the stations daily, with silver-coloured YT class cars.One outstanding featue of the YCG/1s was their capability to work on unelectrified yard lines on attachment of a trailer car housing battery accummulators. After the main line was electrified in 1968, age, but a spanking new breed or YAM/1 ac electrics meant that the YCG/1s were not re-ordered. One more unit is preserved outside the e.m.u. car shed at Tambaram, inMadras.

Electric Locomotive WAM -1

VITALSTATISTICS: Builder: Kraus-Maffei,

Germany

, to a French design Class: WAM/1 Year Built: 1959 Service: ER (Eastern Railway), NR (Northern Railway) Wheel Arrangement: Bo-Bo Numbering: 20202 Named: JAGJIVAN RAM Voltage: 25,000 V ac Rail Gauge: bg (5' 6")

One of the newer additions to the NRM's treasure trove (May 1998) is the first a.c. electric engine to be used in

India

, WAM/1 20202. The engine was dedicated to the service of the nation at Asansol on the ER on 1/1/1959 by the then railway minister Jagjivan Ram. The occasion also marked the inauguration of the first 25,000 V ac section in the country. This 2,840 hp engine weighs 74 tonnes, and could run at a max. speed of 100 kmph. She clocked a total of 38,75,000 km till the end of her service life on early 22/10/97, and was retired from service from the Kanpur Electric Loco shed. During her working life, she hauled prestigious trains like the Howrah-Delhi Kalka Mail and the Deluxe Express. Mercury-arc rectifiers (also known as 'ignitron') had been fitted originally, but these were later replaced by silicon diode rectifiers. The engine name 'JAGJIVAN RAM', was applied to the engine soon after the inauguration of the first ac section in 1959, and she bore the name throughout the tenure of her service.

Electric Locomotive WAG 1

VITALSTATISTICS: Builder: Chittaranjan Locomotive Works,

India

Class: WAG/1 Year Built: 1963 Service: NR (Northern Railway) GIPR Wheel Arrangement: Bo-Bo Features: 3400 hp freight locomotive, max. speed 80 kmph Numbering: Not yet known Named: BIDHAN Rail Gauge: bg (5' 6")

Another recent addition to the NRM is the first Indian built ac freight electric locomotive of class WAG/1. The engine is named 'Bidhan'. Further details and picture will be posted as soAnother recent addition to the NRM is the first Indian built ac freight electric locomotive of class WAG/1. The engine is named 'Bidhan'. Further details and picture will be posted as soon as they are available.on as they are available.

Have a Great Time in India

Chronology of railways in India, Part 2 (1832 - 1865)

Note: This chronology is intended as a general overview for non-specialists to give them a feel for some of the interesting and complex events that shaped the development of railways in India. Many line openings are mentioned to give an idea of the geographic spread of railway services. Dates in most cases are those for when the completed lines were open to traffic; usually sections of the line may have been opened years earlier, and might even have supported revenue traffic in parts. Dates are often somewhat uncertain because of varying reports in different sources, or lack of documentation, hence in many cases they may be off by a couple of years. Anyone seeking reliable and specific information and more detail is strongly urged to consult the reference works listed in the guide to historical research and the section on books about IR history

1832
First proposal for a railway in India, in Madras. This remained a dream on paper.

1835-1836
A short experimental railway line is constructed at Chintadripet, near Madras, which later became the Red Hill Railroad. More here.

1837
The first operational railway in India - the Red Hill Railroad near Madras, used for transporting granite stone.More here.

1838
Likely date of first locomotive built in India - an Avery design rotary engine built for the Red Hill Railroad. More here.

1840s
Various proposals for railways in India, especially around Calcutta (EIR) and Bombay (GIPR).

1844
R MacDonald Stephenson's "Report upon the Practicability and Advantages of the Introduction of Railways into British India" is published.

1845
A railway is in operation near Rajahmundry for conveying construction material and stone for irrigation works and a dam across the Godavari. More here.
Survey work carried out for Bombay-Kalyan line and an extension up the Malay Ghat for proposed connections to Khandwa and Pune.
May 8: Madras Railway Company is formed.
East India Railway company is formed.

1848
Governor-General Lord Dalhousie while advocating railway construction in India also says, &uot;No one can safely say whether railways in this country will earn or not".

1849
August 1: Great Indian Peninsular Railway incorporated by an Act of Parliament.
"Old Guarantee System" providing free land and guaranteed rates of return (5%) to the private English companies willing to work on building railways. Agreed upon in March, finalized on August 17.

1851
Locomotive Thomason is used for construction work in Roorkee, beginning on December 22. More here.
Construction begins of an "experimental" section of track (Howrah-Rajmahal) for the proposed Calcutta-Delhi link via Mirzapur (EIR).

1852
Construction of a line out of Bombay begins, and a locomotive, Falkland, begins shunting operations on February 23. The line is ready by November, and on the 18th of November, a trial run of the Bombay-Thane trip (35 km) is held. (Some accounts suggest another locomotive, Vulcan might have also been used for shunting operations here.)
The Madras Guaranteed Railway Company is formed.

1853
On April 16th, at 3:35pm, the first train in India leaves Bombay for Thane (see above for details). Initial scheduled services consist of two trains each way between Bombay and Thane and later Bombay and Mahim via Dadar.
Madras Railway incorporated; work begins on Madras-Arcot line.
Lord Dalhousie's famous Railway Minute of April 20 lays down the policy that private enterprise would be allowed to build railways in India, but that their operation would be closely supervised by the government.

1854
On August 15th, the first passenger train in the eastern section is operated, from Howrah to Hoogly (24 miles). The section is soon extended to Pundooah. Howrah station at the time is simply a tin shed with a small booking office, and a single narrow platform.
By May, GIPR Bombay-Thane line is extended to Kalyan and is a double tracked line; inaugurated by Lord Elphinstone. Dapoorie viaduct is completed.
GIPR opens its first workshops at Byculla.
Stations are classified into 4 groups on some railways, according to traffic and the proportion of European and Indian passengers.

1855
BB&CI Railway incorporated, and begins work on a Surat-Baroda line.
Thane-Kalyan line extended to Vasind on the north-east.
February 3: EIR's "experimental" track for a Calcutta-Delhi route now consists of a Howrah to Raneegunje (Raniganj, collieries near Asansol) section of 121 miles.
August: EIR 21 and 22 ('Express' and 'Fairy Queen') begin work. The Fairy Queen is still working!

1855-1856
HMS Goodwin carrying railway carriages for East Indian Railway Co. sinks. Another ship carrying a locomotive is mis-routed to Australia.

1856
May 28: Royapuram - Wallajah Road line constructed by the Madras Railway Company
Jul 1: The first train service in the south begins, from Royapuram / Veyasarapady (Madras) to Wallajah Road (Arcot) (approx. 100km) by the Madras Railway Company.
A combined Loco, Carriage and Wagon Workshop is set up by the Madras Guaranteed Rly. (later part of the MSMR) at Perambur, near Madras, later to become the Carriage and Wagon Workshops of SR (and the Loco Workshops at Perambur).
Sind (later Sind, Punjab and Delhi) Railway is formed, a guaranteed railway.
GIPR line extended to Khopoli via Palasdhari on the south-east. Regular services are now run from Mumbai to Vasind and from Mumbai to Khopoli. Stations opened at Dadar, Kurla, Titwala, Badlapur, and Neral.

1858
Eastern Bengal Railway and the Great Southern of India formed (guaranteed railways).
June 14: Khandala-Pune section of GIPR open to traffic. The 21km gap over the Bhore ghat (Karjat - Khandala) is crossed by palanquin, horses, or on foot. In some cases the passenger cars were also carried over each way.

1859
On March 3rd, the first train in the north was operated, from Allahabad to Kanpur (180km).
BBCI Railway obtains permission to extend its lines southwards from Surat, and opens its Grant Road terminus for its proposed line from Surat.
Eastern Bengal Railway begins construction on Calcutta-Kushtia line (175km).
Calcutta and South-Eastern Railway formed, with 5% guarantee from the government.

1855-1870
Several (about a dozen) railway companies are incorporated.

Early 1860s
Various early experiments with providing passenger amenities such as toilets, lights, etc. These naturally tended to be introduced first in the First Class carriages and only later in the lower classes of accommodation.
Sind and Punjab Railway is engaged in construction of a northward line from Karachi, a Lahore-Multan line, and a Lahore-Delhi line.
Kanpur-Etawah section opened.

1860
Bhusawal station set up by GIPR.
Vasind-Asangaon line opened.

1861
Madras Railway's trunk route from Madras extended to Beypur / Kadalundi (near Calicut). Work begins on a north-western branch out of Arakkonam.
Great Southern Railway of India completes 125km BG line between Nagapatnam and Trichinopoly. (? Some sources suggest the line was till Tanjore, and extended to Trichinopoly by March 1862.)
Churchgate station opened by BBCI Railway as its new terminus for Bombay.
January 1: GIPR's Kasara line opens (extended from Asangaon).
May 13: Karachi-Kotri section of the Scinde Rly. opens to public traffic, the first section in the region that would later become Pakistan.

1862
Feb. 8: Jamalpur Loco Works established.
Khanderao, the Gaekwar of Baroda, opens 8 miles of an NG railway line from Dabhoi towards Miyagam. Oxen were used as the motive power!
EIR's Delhi-Calcutta route progresses as far as the west bank of the Yamuna, via Mughalsarai. Sahibganj Loop.
Sealdah station commissioned.
Bhore ghat incline constructed, connecting Palasdhari to Khandala.
November: EBR's Calcutta-Kushtia line open for traffic.
Calcutta and South-Eastern Railway's 45km line from Calcutta to Port Canning is constructed.
Amritsar-Attari section completed on the route to Lahore.
The Indian Branch Railway Co. formed to construct short branches and feeder lines in northern India, with a 20-year subsidy but no guarantee.
The Indian Tramway Co. is formed for building short lines around Madras, also with a 20-year subsidy. This suffered losses later, was reorganized to become the Carnatic Railway and finally was taken over by the South Indian Railway.
Two-tier seating is introduced in Third Class (on EIR, GIPR, etc.) as a measure to alleviate overcrowding. A typical coach carries 50 passengers on the lower seats, and 70 on the upper level, nearly doubling the capacity of the already overcrowded third-class coaches. These were the first double-decker coaches to be used in India, and perhaps in the world (?).
Madras Railway extends its lines to Renigunta.
GSIR's Nagapatnam - Trichinopoly line opened to traffic.

1863
May 14: GIPR line from Bombay across the Bhore Ghat to Pune constructed.
BB&CI Railway completes Surat-Baroda-Ahmedabad line.
EIR completes Arrah bridge over the Sone.
Port Canning - Mutlah line opened by the Calcutta & South-Eastern R Railway.
Nalhati - Azimganj 4' gauge line built by the Indian Branch Railway Co.
First luxury carriage in India is built for the Governor of Bombay.

1864
August 1: First train into Delhi. Through trains run between Delhi and Calcutta; coaches are ferried on boats across the river at Allahabad.
Bombay-Surat line completed by BB&CI Railway.
Jolarpettai - Bangalore Cantt. branch added by Madras Railway; Bangalore Mail begins running.
First proposals for (horse-drawn) trams in Bombay.

1865
Sind and Punjab Railway's Multan-Lahore-Amritsar line is completed. Works begins on line from Delhi to Amritsar.
BB&CI completes Bombay-Ahmedabad rail link.
Yamuna bridge at Allahabad opened, allowing EIR trains to cross over without using ferries.
Arakkonam-Conjeevaram 3'6" line built by the Indian Tramways Co.
Kasara line extended to Igatpuri over the Thull (Thall) ghat.
GIPR timetables show 'local trains' separately for the first time. These are in the sections to Mahim and Kalyan.
Alambagh Workshops set up by the Oudh and Rohilkhand Rly. (formerly the Indian Branch Rly. Co.).
Howrah station gets a second platform.

1866
Railway Branch formed in Central Public Works Department.
Delhi and Calcutta are linked directly by rail as the completion of the Yamuna bridge (road and rail) in Delhi allows the trains to reach what later became Delhi Junction. The 1 Dn / 2 Up Mail begins running -- this is the predecessor of the Howrah - Kalka Mail.
Bhusawal-Khandwa section opened.
W. Newman & Co. begins publishing the "Newman's Indian Bradshaw" for train timetables in India.
Indian Branch Rly. Co. begins construction of Lucknow-Kanpur light MG line.

1867
Virar - Bombay Backbay suburban service commences (BB&CI); one train in each direction each day.
Some Indian locos are sent overseas for the Abyssinian expedition.
GIPR branch line extended to Nagpur; Bhusawal-Badnera section opened.
EIR branch line extends from Allahabad to Jubbulpore (Jabalpur).
Lucknow-Kanpur line opened by the Indian Branch Railway Co.

1868
Madras Railway extends its network (with a new terminus at Royapuram) to Salem, and also finishes the Jolarpettai - Bangalore Cantonment branch.
November: Sind, Punjab, and Delhi Railway's line towards Amritsar from Delhi (Ghaziabad) is open for traffic up to Ambala.
Calcutta and South-Eastern Railway, having suffered extensive losses on their Sealdah-Canning line because of floods and other problems, decide to transfer the line to the government in return for capital costs, becoming the first railway to be taken over by the state.
GSIR's line reaches Erode, connecting to the Madras State Rly.
Charbagh workshops set up by the Oudh and Rohilkhand Rly

1869
Governor-General Lord Lawrence suggests that the Government of India itself undertake all future construction of railway lines. But GIPR's guarantees and leases are extended, and also those of the Bombay, Baroda, and Madras Railway Companies. Still, this year marks a turning point in government policy away from the guarantee system.
GIPR locals extended from Mahim to Bandra.
Jan. 25: Runaway train on the Bhore Ghat derails and crashes after failing to be stopped by a catch siding, and is made (in)famous by pictures in the Illustrated London News.
Total trackage in India is about 4000 miles.

The chronology continues in Part 2, listing events from 1870 to 1899. Part 3 lists events from 1900 to 1947.

Part 4 covers 1947 to 1970. Modern times are listed in Part 5 - 1970 to 1995 & Part 6 - 1995 to 1999, and finallyPart 7 covering 2000 to the present day.

Film[edit]

The Mumbai Suburban Railway has regularly been used for film shoots. Some movies that have used the Mumbai Suburban Railway for filming are Agneepath, Dabangg, Gangs of Wasseypur, Life In a Metro, Ghanchakkar, Kai Po Che,Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Again, Rajjo, Ra.One and Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani.^[22]